Mixed Up 2: Alternate Reality
by Gage39
Summary: Optimus, Prowl, Ratchet, and Bulkhead get sucked into a portal...again.  They meet Bumblebee...again.  But this time everything's different.  The Decepticons have taken over and Bumblebee is now a bounty hunter who has no qualms about turning them in.
1. Prologue: Another Portal

Mixed-Up 2: Alternate Reality

Prologue: Another Portal

"Do you have to go?" Bumblebee asked, agitation written on his gray faceplate.

"Yes," Optimus Prime answered even though everything in him wanted to say no.

Ever since that unfortunate incident with the portal a month earlier Bumblebee had refused to let them out of his sight; even going so far as to recharge with Bulkhead. His fear was understandable but they weren't going to get sucked into a portal while on patrol. Right?

"Are you sure I can't go with you?" Bumblebee tried again.

"No," Ratchet answered this time. "I still don't know how you managed to twist your knee joint but until it's fully healed you are not allowed to move anymore than is absolutely necessary. Is that understood?"

"Yeah," Bumblebee grumbled, crossing his arms and scowling at the wall in front of him.

"We'll be back soon," Bulkhead attempted to console his yellow friend.

"Promise?"

"We promise," Prowl said.

"Ok," Bumblebee sighed as he uncrossed his arms. "Just go, the soon you leave the sooner you can get back."

"We're going," Optimus walked over to the door and opened it.

"Don't move," Ratchet ordered.

"I won't," Bumblebee watched as they exited the building, closing the door behind them. He vented a long, heavy sigh and, picking up the remote, turned the television on and began flipping through the channels. As he did so he sent a quick prayer to Primus that his friends would return soon.

* * *

><p>So far all had been quiet while on patrol but Optimus wasn't about to complain. An uneventful patrol was a good thing, however, as it meant they could return to the base and Bumblebee sooner. All of them, not just Bumblebee, were slightly wary of leaving the others. Paranoia, despite the fact that the portal only opened up once every twelve million years, had set in, making them even more cautious than normal.<p>

"So how long until Bumblebee's completely healed?" Optimus asked, breaking the silence.

"He'll be up and about in less than a week," Ratchet assured him.

"That's good," Bulkhead sounded slightly relieved.

"Then he'll be playing pranks again," Prowl sighed.

"Pranks are infinitely better than trying to take down the Autobots," Optimus reminded them.

They drove in silence for a few more minutes than Prowl, who had been in the lead, suddenly slammed on his brakes, tires screeching. Optimus was about to ask what was wrong when he saw it. The other three Autobots came to a complete stop and transformed, then just stood there, staring at the portal swirling in front of them.

"Not again," Ratchet groaned.

"I thought it only came once every twelve million years," Optimus protested.

"I don't think we're going to make it back to the base today," Prowl said.

"Bumblebee's not gonna be happy," Bulkhead sighed.

Optimus wholeheartedly agreed with that statement as the portal began sucking them in.

A/N: 5 reviews.

A/N/N: Sorry this chapter's so short. The next one will be longer, I promise.


	2. How Long Were We Gone?

Mixed-Up 2: Alternate Reality

Chapter 1: How Long Were We Gone?

It was dark; it was always dark these days. Bumblebee ran a servo lightly over the rough bark of a tree, enjoying the feeling. While he didn't get the same pleasure out of it that…that others did he could understand their fascination better. He smiled softly and patted the tree before moving on. He walked down the street, being careful to avoid the potholes and cracks in the pavement. He had learned the hard way that twisted knee joints hurt like slag. Suddenly he stopped and listened. He could hear voices coming from in front of him; very familiar voices at that. He broke into a run, his pedes making no sounds as they hit the ground.

* * *

><p>Despite the fact that he was somewhat used to the dizzying sensation Optimus still groaned when the portal spat him out. He remained lying face down on the ground for several minutes, waiting for the world to stop spinning. Once it did he sat up slowly and looked around. As far as he could tell they were in the same place that they had been when the portal appeared. They were directly in front of the woods as they had just been about to turn around and head back to the base. Things looked…different but that was to be expected. The grass beneath their pedes was brown instead of its normal green color. The trees were all either dead or dying; a few leaves still clung to the branches as if trying to hold onto the last semblance of life. No wind stirred the tops of trees; no flowers brightened the dead grass. It was as if the entire world had died.<p>

"I wonder how long we were gone this time," Prowl commented, the sound of his voice breaking the silence.

"I don't think I wanna know," Bulkhead glanced around uneasily, his blue optics darting back and forth as though he expected the trees to come to life and attack them.

Silence fell over the little group again as they just kept looking around. Optimus was just about to suggest that they go and see if there was anyone around when a voice demanded, "What are you doing here?"

The Autobots turned and saw Bumblebee standing there, stingers at the ready. He was now completely black with yellow stripes where his black ones had previously been. Scars liberally decorated his frame including a particularly viscous one that had taken out his right optics. His left optic was completely dark and hanging out, fiving the minibot a menacing look.

"Bumblebee!" Bulkhead said happily and began walking towards his friend only to stop when he found himself at the business end of a sword. Sentinel Prime's sword to be exact Optimus realized with a start.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Bumblebee demanded again.

"It's us, Bumblebee," Optimus said gently and took a step forward. "It's me, Optimus, and Prowl and Ratchet and Bulkhead."

Bumblebee scowled at them, anger and hatred written all over his faceplate but he reluctantly walked over to Bulkhead and said, "Lower your head." Obediently the big green mech did as he had been ordered and lowered his head to Bumblebee's level. The minibot raised a black servo and touched Bulkhead's faceplate. As he touched the gray jaw guard disbelief appeared on his faceplate and eagerly began to run his digits over the familiar pattern of Bulkhead's faceplate. "Bulkhead?" he whispered. "It's really you," he said dazedly after returning his servo to his side.

"Of course we're real," Ratchet grumbled. "Didn't think we'd just up and leave ya, didja ya?"

Instantly the smile that had begun to form on the minibot's faceplate disappeared and he said, rather stiffly, "As a matter of fact I did; you bots were gone for a little over ten thousand years. I just assumed that you weren't planning on ever coming back."

"We were sucked into another portal," Optimus explained.

Bumblebee wasn't listening, however, his head was cocked to one side and he help up a digit, signaling for them to be quiet. "We need to go," he said a few seconds later. "That means now," he snapped when they didn't move.

The Autobots exchanged glances then, very reluctantly, Optimus nodded and said, "We're coming."

"Hurry up," was all that Bumblebee said before turning and walking back the way he had come.

Optimus shrugged and followed the minibot, figuring that it was probably safer to stick with him. Probably anyway. Despite the fact that the black-and-yellow bot was, more than likely, blind he could still navigate the remains of Motor City far better than when he had been able to see. His pedes unerringly found their way along the sidewalk.

As they walked, or in Bumblebee's case limped, Optimus looked around and took notes of all the changes that had occurred during their absence. Most of the buildings had been destroyed, leaving behind only a burned-out shell; only a few remained standing, missing boards and windows leaving gaping holes. Trees that had once lined the streets now lay on the ground, splintered while only one or two continued their vigil. Cars lay in twisted, unrecognizable heaps making the Autobots shudder as they passed them. So far they had seen neither humans nor animals anywhere. Optimus wondered what had happened to them but he had his suspicions.

"Where are we going?" Prowl asked.

"Somewhere else," Bumblebee said shortly as he came to a stop, signaling for the others to stop as well.

"Why do we keep stopping?" Ratchet grumbled.

"Because we don't want the Decepticons to catch us," Bumblebee replied.

Decepticons. Optimus took note of the word and came to the logical conclusion that things weren't the same as they had been last time. For one thing Bumblebee hadn't been blind and he had most certainly not been pure black with yellow stripes. They had both had their faction symbols covered up but that was where the resemblance ended. The other Bumblebee had been, without a shadow of a doubt, crazy. This Bumblebee, however, while they hadn't really had a chance to get to know him, seemed cold, harsh. He hadn't expected them to come back, had told them that straight off. Something was very, very wrong and Optimus was determined to find out what.

* * *

><p>Behind him Bumblebee could hear the Autobots whispering to each other. Due to his supersensitive hearing he could tell that they were discussing him and what they thought had happened to him. Because it sounded so much like them he tried to ignore the voice in his processor that said it wasn't really them. Of course it was them; who else could it be? Now all he had to do was get them to trust him which shouldn't be too hard, so he could take them to the cave then he could do what he had been planning to do for the past ten thousand years. It wouldn't be long before he got his revenge on them for leaving him behind all those years ago.<p>

A/N: 5 reviews please.

A/N/N: Take note of this- Bumblebee DID NOT hear Optimus say that they had been sucked into another portal as he was listening for the Decepticons. This will be an important factor in a later chapter so pay close attention.


	3. Dinobot Island

Mixed-Up 2: Alternate Reality

Chapter 2: Dinobot Island

An hour later Optimus wasn't entirely sure where they were. All he knew for sure was that they were still in what remained of Motor City but other than that he didn't know.

"This isn't the way to the base," Prowl said as he stopped in the middle of the street and crossed his arms.

"Well I never said that we were going to the base. I just said that we were going somewhere else; I never specified where," Bumblebee replied.

"Well then where are we going?" Optimus asked.

"None of your business," the minibot said.

"On the contrary it is our business," Prowl countered. "You're taking us somewhere so I believe that we do have the right to know."

Bumblebee stopped and turned to face the ninja. "Just like I had the right to know that you weren't coming back?" he hissed.

"I already told you," Optimus began but was interrupted by Bumblebee who held up a servo.

"Never mind," he said. "Just…let's go."

They continued in silence; each one feeling the anger that was rolling off Bumblebee in waves. They walked for another hour before they reached the docks. Waiting for them was an old boat with so many boarded-up holes that Optimus had to wonder how it was even still afloat. Bumblebee climbed into the boat then turned and looked at them. "Get in" he called.

The four Autobots very, very reluctantly stepped into the boat as well, keeping close to the rail. Optimus saw Bumblebee smirk when Bulkhead nervously asked "Is this thing safe?"  
>"It might be and it might not be," Bumblebee said mysteriously.<p>

Bulkhead scooted closer to the rail and eyed the dock longingly. "Can't I just stay here?" he pleaded.

"No," Bumblebee said calmly as he walked over to where the steering wheel used to be. In its place resided a control panel which Bumblebee used to enter in a series of commands. The panel beeped then suddenly the ship jerked, sending the Autobots sprawling on the deck. "Sorry about that," Bumblebee said unrepentantly.

"I bet," Prowl muttered as he scowled at the minibot's back.

"And stop scowling at me," Bumblebee added.

Prowl's jaw dropped and he turned to Optimus. "How did he do that?"  
>"I have no idea," Optimus said.<p>

It took half-an-hour for them to cross the body of water before they finally caught sight of a small, rather inconspicuous looking island.

"What's that island called?" Ratchet grunted.

"Dinobot Island," Bumblebee answered.

"Why is it called that?" Prowl wanted to know.

"Shut up and stop asking questions," was the reply.

Prowl wisely muted his vocalizer and remained silent until the boat reached the island. Once they had stopped moving Bumblebee jumped out of the boat, pedes sinking into the sand. The Autobots follow him, albeit much more cautiously. They stood in a circle on the sandy beach, gazing at their surroundings. Trees lined the beach, separating it from the rest of the island. It didn't look as if the Decepticons had made it here yet. It looked virtually untouched, like one of the paradises that the humans were always talking about.

"Come on," Bumblebee gestured as he disappeared into the woods.

Once again Optimus found himself following the black-and-yellow minibot to…well wherever they happened to be going this time. After they had been walking through the woods for less than a mile Optimus found himself forced to change his original assessment of this place. There were some trees but they mainly seemed to serve as a cover, deceiving whoever was on the island into thinking that it was a paradise. But, in reality, was instead a graveyard. Skeletons, both human and animal, littered the ground making it almost impossible to walk without stepping on one. Bumblebee, however, navigated through the remains with ease, avoiding stepping on the bones. Hesitantly they followed, trying to ignore the little voice in their processors that said they were desecrating a burial ground. Optimus tried to tell himself that he was merely hallucinating but couldn't quite convince himself of that.

Bumblebee led them through several more miles of bones before they suddenly found themselves surrounded by trees once more. There was no path indicating which way they should go but that did not deter Bumblebee. He veered to the left rather unexpectedly and they were forced to speed up in order to catch him. They went past more trees; just barely voided some gigantic holes in the ground big enough to swallow Optimus whole and finally slowed down once they reached a rather ominous looking hole. It was filled with a strange looking black organic substance that was bubbling ever so slightly.

"Stay away from that," Bumblebee warned.

"Why?" Bulkhead asked. There was a sudden splash as he fell in due to his lack of attention. "I'm sinking!" he shrieked as his large, green fame slowly began disappearing.

Bumblebee let out an aggravated sigh and said, "That's why. Optimus, use your grappling hook to pull him out," he ordered.

Optimus threw his grappling hook to bulkhead who grabbed hold of it quickly. Then came the difficult part; pulling him out. In the end it took the combined efforts of Optimus, Prowl, Ratchet and Bumblebee to pull the large mech out of the hole. When he did come out he accidently let go of the grappling hook and fell to the ground in a twisted heap of arms and legs.

"Wow," Bulkhead said; optics wide. "That looks kinda painful."

"Trust me, it is," Optimus's voice was rather muffled as he was lying at the bottom of the pile.

There was a sudden exclamation from Bumblebee then he said, "Prowl, move your servo or I swear to Primus I will offline you."

After a few seconds of metal scraping metal Prowl said, "Sorry," sounding slightly embarrassed.

"Do I want to know?" Optimus asked.

"No you don't," Bumblebee informed him.

It took a while but they finally managed to un-tangle themselves. Once they were free Bumblebee disappeared into the woods, calling for them to hurry up. They followed him, Bulkhead keeping a wary optic out for anymore holes. It didn't take long before Bumblebee suddenly stopped.

"Where are we?" Optimus asked, looking up at the moss covered rock wall in front of them.

"Home sweet home," Bumblebee said simply as he pulled aside some of the ivy and disappeared into an opening in the wall.

A/N: 5 reviews please. Oh, the next chapter will be late.

A/N/N: If you want to read good Transformers stories check out either 'Betrayal' by Stitchar or 'Promise Not to Tell' by P.A.W.0.7 or 'New Divide' by Karategal. Actually anything by them should be pretty good and worth reading. I promise that you won't be disappointed!

A/N/N: Hey I have a favor to ask: does anyone mind doing an illustration of this chapter? Particularly the scene where the Autobots are walking through the graveyard? You know, draw a few skeletons; show the Autobots' reactions that sort of thing. If you do draw it please send me the link in a private message and be forewarned that the link WILL be posted on my fan fiction profile (giving you the credit of course).


	4. The Cave

Mixed-Up 2: Alternate Reality

Chapter 3: The Cave

Optimus wasn't sure what he had been expecting to see when he followed Bumblebee through the hole. While he had expected a cave he hadn't expected this cave. It barely had enough room for all of them and even then there wasn't enough ceiling space for any of them, except for Bumblebee of course, to stand upright. As they stood there, hunched over, in that cramped space Optimus's only thought was, _I think I would have preferred the graveyard._

"Come on," Bumblebee said once they were all inside. Before they could ask what he meant by that he pressed one of the rocks that were protruding ever so slight from the wall and a section of the wall slid aside, revealing a doorway. Bumblebee stepped through then poked his head back into the cave and said, "Aren't you bots coming?"

"We're coming," Optimus sighed. "We're coming." He walked through the doorway only to stop still once he saw what was on the other side.

"Move out of the way, Prime," Ratchet grumbled.

Optimus nodded then slowly moved, allowing the other three Autobots to enter as well. They followed their leader in only to stop as well when they too saw what he had seen. They weren't just in a cave in the side of a rock mountain; they were in…well a trophy room was the only description Optimus could think of. The room itself was rather large with shelves lining the walls and two other doorways, each one going a different direction. The shelves, however, were the biggest surprise of all for they were filled with…parts; parts off other bots to be more specific. Helms, spare parts, and mods all decorated the otherwise plain shelves. In fact it rather eerily reminded Optimus of the time that he had seen the inside of a ship belonging to a bounty hunter by the name of Lockdown. But what was the most disturbing of all was that Optimus recognized some of the parts. For starters there was Sentinel Prime's sword and shield which Bumblebee had been using earlier. There was also a helm which had belonged to Optimus's girlfriend Elita One that resided not far away from a green set of stingers that looked just like Bumblebee's. Optimus thought he recognized several other parts as well including…was that really Ultra Magnus's hammer?

"Where'd all this stuff come from?" Bulkhead asked; his voice no louder than an awed whisper.

"A lot of different…places actually," Bumblebee called, having disappeared through one of the other doorways. He re-appeared a few minutes later carrying five cubes of energon. He passed them out then sat down on the floor, leaning his back against the wall.

Optimus looked at the cube in his servo then down at the rocky floor. He vented reluctantly then slowly, awkwardly sat down on the floor as well, being careful not to scratch his paintjob. The others joined him and Bumblebee then they all sat there, drinking their energon. The room was thick with tension; a mixture of nervousness and wariness as they eyed each other, silently assessing changes and similarities.

Optimus's first instinct after taking a sip of energon was to spit it back out. He didn't, however, but somehow managed to down the rest of it. He also watched Bumblebee who didn't bother to hide the fact that he was staring at them even though he could no longer see anything.

"This place looks like a used parts shop," Prowl commented.

"Very funny," Bumblebee said drily.

Once they had finished their energon they sat there just staring at one another. There were several things that Optimus desperately wanted to know but somehow he knew better than to speak at the moment, some inner voice was warning him. So he remained quiet and chose instead to study Bumblebee once more. Now that he was sitting down Optimus could see more plainly the fatigue and the pain that showed on his gray faceplate. The scars were also much more visible and some looked fairly recent. His head was leaning against the wall making it appear as if he were staring up at the ceiling. Exhaustion was written all over his frame and Optimus was surprised that he was still online instead of recharging or in emergency stasis. His mouth plates moved, as if he were whispering to himself; either that or he was praying.

The blue-and-red Autobot compared the picture of this Bumblebee to his mental image of the one that they had left behind and discovered that they did not match. Neither did the image of the other Bumblebee; the one that they had met after going through the portal the first time. Optimus discovered, with a sudden pang of sadness, that he missed that Bumblebee; he missed the minibot that had eagerly waited for them to come back and that had fought on the side of good. Even though he hadn't' said what side he was on Optimus strongly suspected that this Bumblebee wasn't on the side of the Autobots.

After another hour of sitting there and staring at each other Bumblebee finally rose to his pedes and said, "Come." Then he turned and disappeared through the other doorway, the one that he had not used earlier.

The Autobots exchanged puzzled glances then stood as well and followed Bumblebee. Optimus was relieved when he found himself in a hallway then immediately felt his shoulder struts slump when he realized there were three doors all of which, except for one, were closed. He was really starting to hate this place.

"Pick a room," Bumblebee told them. "You bots will have to share rooms." He continued walking down the hall until he reached the door that was open. A few seconds after he went into the room the door closed.

The Autobots argue over who was going to recharge with who and finally decided that Optimus and Ratchet would share a room which left Prowl and Bulkhead in the room next to them. They exchanged pleasantries then retreated to their respective rooms. It wasn't long afterward that they all fell into fitful recharge and didn't come online again until the next morning.

A/N: 5 reviews and sorry that it's so late.

A/N/N: I did an illustration for when Optimus was mentally comparing the different Bumblebee's and the link can be found on my profile. If anyone thinks they can do better then have at it.

A/N/N/N: Oh if anyone's confused why Optimus wasn't happy to see the other three doors it was because he didn't want to know what was behind them; he feared that there would be more parts from bots. Make sense? If not message or leave a signed review and I will get back to you.


	5. Betrayal

Mixed-Up 2: Alternate Reality

Chapter 4: Betrayal

Despite the fact that it was very early in the morning the Decepticon base was buzzing with activity. Not that they really had anything to do except for destroy what was left of Motor City.

"Are you certain?" Megatron asked with a frown. As leader of the Decepticon army he sat on a throne, reveling at being able to look down at his soldiers.

"Yes, Lord Megatron," Lugnut said. "It was those four Autobots that were Bumblebee's companions all those years ago."

"That's impossible," Starscream declared, scowling at Lugnut from where he stood next to Megatron.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Lugnut growled, his servos clenching into fists.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I am."

"Why you little…!"

Megatron interrupted both of them by holding up a servo, the universal gesture of "shut up." "What did happen to them?" he asked, only slightly curious.

Starscream and Lugnut didn't answer him but stared obstinately at the floor instead.

Realizing that neither of them was going to tell him anything Megatron ordered them to be on the lookout for the Autobots and to let him know if they saw anything.

"But vhat about Bumblebee?" Blitzwing protested as he stepped out of the shadows where he had been listening in. "Von't he bring them to us like he did the others?"

Megatron shook his head. "No," he said. "He'll never turn them over."

"Yes, he will," Starscream said. Ignoring his commander's scathing glare he continued, "He thinks they betrayed him. They disappeared ten thousand years ago, leaving him all alone. Believe me when I tell you that he will not hesitate to hand them over to us."

"Then why hasn't he done so already?" Lugnut asked.

"To make them pay," Blitzwing answered. "He vants to make them suffer as much as he has and the best vay to that vould be for them to think that he vants to help them only he hands them over to us instead."  
>"When did the two of you become psychiatrists?" Megatron inquired, raising an optic ridge.<p>

"Ve vere bored so ve read everything ve could find," Blitzwing explained.

* * *

><p>When Optimus awoke he looked around in confusion then remembered the events of the previous day. He sat up and vented loudly. All he really wanted at the moment was to be waking up in his own berth in the old warehouse that they called home. Home was such a strange word he reflected; it meant one thing yet could be applied to almost anything. It was about then that Optimus realized wanted to go home, where Bumblebee didn't have the barely disguised anger in his voice or the battle scarred frame. Where Decepticons didn't rule and humans were as far as the optic could see. He really, really missed Motor City; not the burned out town it was now whose only inhabitants were ghosts.<p>

He vented heavily and decided to get up. A few minutes later he and Ratchet exited their room, running into Prowl and Bulkhead in the hallway. Before Optimus had had time to say anything other than good morning Bumblebee emerged from his quarters. The minibot walked down the hall, one servo trailing along the wall. It was barely noticeable and the only reason that Optimus even saw it was because he had been watching Bumblebee; wondering what he was going to do. He ignored them and kept on walking, disappearing through the door at the end of the hall.

The Autobots followed him through the main room and into what was obviously a storage room of some kind. Crates covered almost the entire floor, stacked from wall to wall nailed tightly shut. Bumblebee went straight to one of the crates and slid the lid aside. Reaching inside he pulled out five cubes of energon and handed them out. After the energon was downed Bumblebee said, "Time to go," then turned and walked out of the room.

If Optimus had been confused the day before by Bumblebee's actions he was completely and totally baffled now; deciding that it might be best for him to comply, Optimus followed Bumblebee, the others right behind them. They walked out of the cave, sealing the hidden entrance behind them. The island looked as uninviting as it had the day before, the skeletons looking even more ominous in the daytime. They were all silent as they walked past the trees and over the sand until they reached the ship. They boarded it then Bumblebee entered the coordinates and they took off.

They were half-way across the water before Optimus felt brave enough to ask, "Where are we going?"

"Motor City."

"Why?" Bulkhead wanted to know.

"To search."

"For what?" Ratchet grunted.

"Decepticons," was the short, if somewhat terse, answer.

"And why do we want to find them?" Prowl asked.

"So I can hand you over to them."

There was stunned silence for several minutes then, "Why would you do that to us?"  
>"Why not?"<p>

"What did we ever do to you?" Optimus demanded.

The ship stopped suddenly but none of them paid any attention, choosing instead to focus on one another.

"What didn't you do?" Bumblebee snarled. "You bots were like the family that I never had and what do you do? You up and leave me behind. I waited for over ten thousand years for you to return. Ten thousand years and you know what? You never came back," his voice, which had risen five decibels halfway through, dropped down to a whisper.

It was at this point Optimus lost it. He yelled, "I'm sorry okay? I'm sorry we left you all alone again. I'm sorry that we got sucked into another portal. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry," he repeated.

Bumblebee looked at them, confusion written all over his faceplate. "What do you mean 'another portal'? You bots never got sucked into a portal before."

"Yes we did," Optimus protested.

"No you didn't," Bumblebee said firmly then re-started the ship, signaling that the conversation was over.

As they moved closer and closer to the shore the Autobots argued over what to do. While they didn't want to hurt Bumblebee they also didn't want to become Decepticon prisoners. Before they had a chance to decide, however, they reached the shore where Starscream, Lugnut, and Blitzwing were waiting. As he saw the three Decepticons standing there Optimus felt something inside of him break. Perhaps…this was their punishment; their chance to atone for leaving Bumblebee behind. Maybe they had angered Primus in some way and this was how they were supposed to pay for it…Whatever the reason Optimus was convinced that they were supposed to go along with it. So he held his head high and went quietly; Bumblebee's figure the last thing he saw before they went around a corner and he disappeared from sight.

A/N: 5 reviews.


	6. There's Two Of Me?

Mixed-Up 2: Alternate Reality

Chapter 5: There's Two Of Me?

While Starscream might have been a traitorous, back-stabbing coward he was anything but stupid. He had been fighting against the Autobots for over half of his life and as such had gained some experience when it came to dealing with prisoners. The normal reaction was for the prisoner to try and escape or at least shout obscenities at their captor. It was not, however, natural for them to be completely quiet not to mention docile. Starscream hadn't had much experience capturing these particular Autobots but still you would've expected some sort of reaction at least. So it was very understandable that he eyed his prisoners with no small amount of wariness. He led the four Autobots through the various hallways of the Decepticon base and finally ended the tour in front of the brig. In less than ten minutes the four prisoners resided in their own separate cells and Starscream had retreated to inform his leader of their capture.

* * *

><p>Optimus sat quietly on the berth in his cell, thinking. What had Bumblebee meant when he said that they had never gone through a portal before? Of course they had gone through a portal; Optimus well remembered the insanity and battle prowess of <em>that<em> Bumblebee. Everything in this future was so identical to the other one yet so different…it was almost as if they were in another dimension entirely…His thoughts were interrupted by a very familiar voice, "Well, well, what do we have here?" Optimus could only stare in shock as a bot stepped out the shadows. It was himself…

* * *

><p>"The Autobots are in the brig, my lord," Starscream reported in his sugary sweet tone.<p>

"Very good, Starscream," Megatron actually sounded pleased for once. "It's nice to know that you can do something right every once in a while."

Starscream forced himself to smile congenially at Megatron thought he wanted nothing more than to shoot the other Decepticon in the spark chamber. "Thank you, my lord. It is such a pleasure to serve such a grand glorious mech as yourself…"

"Oh stop sucking up," Megatron interrupted. "Leave our prisoners down there for a couple of hours then I want you to interrogate them."

Starscream's red optics glowed and he smiled. It was not a particularly nice smile, in fact it was an evil grin; the kind that made some of the meanest, scariest bots in the world tremble and run for cover. "With pleasure, my lord," he said sincerely then bowed and left the room. He was on his way to his private quarters when Lugnut and Blitzwing suddenly appeared in front of him. He let out a rather feminine shriek then scowled at them. "Don't you two ever do that to me again," he growled through gritted denta.

"Sorry," Blitzwing apologized, "but ve vanted to know vhat you told Lord Megatron about the Autobots."

Starscream directed a rather scathing glare at the triple-changer. "Why the truth of course; we caught the Autobots and they are currently residing in the brig."

"What he meant was: did you tell Lord Megatron about the other Autobots?" Lugnut asked nervously.

"Yeah I told him all about the Autobots that we caught ten thousand years ago that we never told him about," Starscream said sarcastically. "Of course I didn't tell him. If I had then all three of us would have already been off-lined by now."

"That is true," Blitzwing admitted.

"We never should have kept this a secret," Lugnut growled. "We should have turned those Autobot scum over to Lord Megatron when we first caught them."

"No," Starscream hissed. "Megatron would've just tortured them and yes they would have deserved it but this way was much better. Not only did we manage to destroy four annoying Autobots but we also gained four new comrades," he said proudly.

"Oh all right," Lugnut grumbled. "But when Lord Megatron finds out, and he will, I'm going to blame the two of you."

"Fine by me," Starscream said then resumed walking towards his private quarters. Once inside he shut and locked the door before trying, once again, to think of a way to overthrow Megatron.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the brig, a stupefied Optimus gaped at…well another him. The two bots appeared to not only be the same height but also the same shape and size but that was where the resemblances ended. The other Optimus was blue-and-purple with a purple Decepticon symbol on his chassis and red optics. "If I may ask; who are you?" the blue-and-red Optimus asked.<p>

"I used to be known as Optimus Prime but you can call me General Prime."

"That's an odd name," Prowl commented.

"Nowhere near as odd as Prowl," another familiar voice said then a black-and-purple Prowl emerged from the shadows. "I personally believe that Shadow Ninja is a much better name and…did I really use to be black-and-gold? It looks absolutely hideous!" he grimaced then shuddered ever so slightly.

Red flecks appeared in Prowl's blue optics and he said, "Oh really?" in a tone so icy that Optimus swore he felt his joints freeze up.

Shadow Ninja chuckled and said, "Oh look, I made Prowler upset."

"It's Prowl," the gold-and-black ninja hissed, eyeing the purple version of himself as if he wanted to throw a shuriken at him.

"Oh knock it off you two," a voice grumbled as another Ratchet and Bulkhead came to stand beside their fellow Decepticons. "One of you ninja bots is bad enough, let alone two," the purple-and-white medic continued. "I'm Hook by the way."

"Great," Ratchet said sarcastically. "Just great."

"Wow," Bulkhead's optics were wide and he looked rather awed as he stared at himself with a purple paintjob. "That's cool," he said. "What's your name?"  
>"Monster Wreck," the large purple mech answered after a few minutes hesitation.<p>

"Cool," Bulkhead grinned.

"It's been a long time since we had any Autobot prisoners," General Prime said, "but I will admit that it's the first time we ever had ourselves or rather, who we used to be, prisoner."

"This shouldn't even be possible," Optimus said thoughtfully. "Unless the portal transported us to another dimension entirely which is the only explanation I can think of."

"Portal?" General Prime looked confused.

"Yes," Prowl answered. "We went out on patrol and were sucked into another portal."

"How did you bots get here?" Optimus asked curiously.

All four of the Decepticons growled and snarled then General Prime said, "Bumblebee betrayed us."

A/N: 5 reviews.

A/N/N: Yes Bumblebee is completely blind. Oh and while the Autobots were recharging he snuck into their rooms and removed their weapons (they didn't notice).

A/N/N/N: I haven't been getting as many reviews lately and yes I understand that all of you are extremely busy with work and school which is why you haven't been able to review my stories. At least I'm going to assume that's why rather than you don't like my stories. So please keep reading and review whenever you are able to do so. Thanks!


	7. Telling The Truth

Mixed-Up 2: Alternate Reality

Chapter 6: Telling The Truth

The Autobots are going to be referred to by their real names but here is what the others (Decepticon versions) are going to be called:

Optimus Prime-General Prime

Prowl-Shadow Ninja

Ratchet-Hook (yes I know he's a Decepticon medic but who cares?)

Bulkhead-Monster Wreck

* * *

><p>"What makes you so sure that it was Bumblebee who betrayed you?" Optimus asked.<p>

General Prime's optics flashed an even brighter red and he said, "Ten thousand years ago we went out on patrol as well. We left Bumblebee behind to keep an optic on the monitors just in case something happened to us. We made it to the end of town and we were about to head back to the base when the Decepticons show up. Before we even had a chance to transform they had surrounded us. They ordered us to either surrender or be off-lined. So we went with them. They kept us prisoner for I don't know how long. After a while Starscream came and told us that Bumblebee had sold us out; told them where we were going to be. So we eventually decided to join the Decepticons."

"But Bumblebee didn't betray you," Optimus said. "He thought you bots betrayed him."

"And why would he think that?" Shadow Ninja asked.

"He didn't know you had been captured by the Decepticons. He thought you bots just up and left. He thought we were you. That's why he turned us in; because he was trying to pay you back for leaving him."

General Prime's faceplate grew stony and he said stiffly, "You're lying."

"No we're not," Optimus insisted.

"Yes you are," General Prime's tone of voice brooked no argument. "All of you Autobots are liars and traitors!"

"You used to be an Autobot too," Optimus said softly.

"Not anymore," General Prime said. "Not anymore." He and the other three Decepticons stepped back; the darkness swallowing them whole.

Optimus sighed heavily and propped his cranial unit on his servos and just sat there, staring at the energon bars in front of him.

* * *

><p>The Decepticons watched from their quarters as they monitored the brig. They watched Prowl as he sat cross-legged on the floor and began humming. Ratchet was attempting to recharge while Bulkhead was nervously pacing up and down in his cell. Optimus was the only one not doing anything as he simply stared into space.<p>

"What's he doin'?" Monster Wreck asked curiously.

"Who cares?" Hook grumbled.

"He's thinking," General Prime said. The tall Decepticon watched with narrowed optics as his Autobot self shifted ever so slightly then relaxed.  
>"Do you think he was telling the truth?" Monster Wreck asked hesitantly. "About Bumblebee I mean?"<br>Instead of answering him Hook and Shadow Ninja both turned to look at General Prime. Feeling their optics on him General Prime shook his head. "No."

"But he could have been telling the truth," Monster Wreck argued. That was a surprise; Monster Wreck was the most soft-spoken of them all, having retained most of his original personality.

For the most part the others had tried to shield him from what they did now. He wasn't allowed anywhere near the brig when they were interrogating prisoners. But today General Prime had had enough; it was bad enough he'd had to deal with another version of himself and Monster Wreck was irritating the slag out of him. So he rose to his pedes and shouted, "He is lying! Bumblebee did betray us! He sold us out just like he did Ultra Magnus and the others. So just…shut up."

"Prime!" Hook yelled. "Knock it off right now!"

"I'm sorry, Monster Wreck," General Prime said sincerely as he sank back down into the chair he had just vacated. "I really didn't mean to yell at you like that."

"It's okay," Monster Wreck assured him.

"I need some air," General Prime said abruptly. He stood up once again and pushed past them, disappearing into the darkness.

Hook sighed and awkwardly patted Monster Wreck on his right shoulder strut. "He didn't mean it, kid," he muttered.

"I know," Monster Wreck nodded.

"Wasn't anything personal; he just has a lot on his processor," the medic continued.

"I know, okay!" Monster Wreck snapped then immediately looked contrite. "I didn't mean to yell at you, Hook," he apologized.

Hook nodded then left the room, muttering something about oiling his joints.

There was silence for several minutes. Monster Wreck fidgeted nervously until Shadow Ninja finally grew bored and said, "All right, I give up. Go ahead; ask away."

"Do you think that Optimus was telling the truth about Bumblebee?" Monster Wreck blurted out, the words sounding rather rushed.

Shadow Ninja groaned. "I honestly don't know," he sighed. "I just don't know."

"But it does make sense," the large mech argued. "Starscream probably figured that we wouldn't bother trying to escape if we thought that Bumblebee was just going to turn us back over."

Shadow Ninja looked straight at Monster Wreck and said, "It sounds like you're trying to convince yourself more than you are me." The big mech lowered his head and looked at the floor even as the ninja said softly, "It doesn't matter what you believe; what matters is what you do about it."

Monster Wreck grinned suddenly and said, "Thanks, Shadow!" then ran out of the room.

An oddly gentle smile appeared on Shadow Ninja's faceplate as he deliberately turned off one of the cameras. He spun around in his chair and began to whistle.

* * *

><p>Megatron was not a very happy mech. Starscream (the glitch) was keeping a secret from him. In and of itself that wasn't unusual; Starscream always had at least one secret that he wanted to keep hidden. But it was very unusual for Blitzwing and Lugnut to join in. Especially Lugnut as he was always exalting Megatron's name to the heavens which, to be perfectly honest, was actually rather annoying. It had been amusing and kind of nice at first to hear a bot praising you 247 but after a while it had gotten old. Anyway, it wasn't normal. But what drove Megatron crazy was that it had something to do with the four Autobots that had disappear ten thousand years earlier then had re-appeared just a few days ago. The Decepticon leader scowled as he mulled over the problem, searching for solutions in the deepest recesses of his processor.

* * *

><p>To be perfectly honest getting locked in the brig was pretty boring. At least it was in Optimus's opinion that is. He was about to slip into recharge when Monster Wreck appeared in front of his cell. Optimus blinked in surprise then his optics widened when he realized that Monster Wreck was deactivating the energon bars on his cell!<p>

Once they had all been let out Monster Wreck turned to Optimus and said hurriedly, "Go down this hallway and turn left. It'll lead you into the woods. Be careful and avoid getting into any fights 'cuz I'm pretty sure that Bumblebee removed your weapons."

Optimus nodded. "Ok," he said. Before he followed his teammates down the hall he smiled at Monster Wreck and said, "Thank you, Bulkhead," then left.

Monster Wreck felt frozen as if he were unable to move. Finally he came to his sense and waved at the Autobots retreating backs. "You're welcome," he called then in a whisper said, "good luck," before lowering his arm and heading back to his quarters.

A/N: 5 reviews.


	8. Thinking

Mixed-Up 2: Alternate Reality

Chapter 7: Thinking

Silence. There had once been a time in Bumblebee's life when he would have done anything to avoid hearing that particular sound. These days, however, not only did he enjoy the sound of silence but he welcomed it with open arms. Although, he had to admit, silence did have certain drawbacks like allowing one to think about things that they normally wouldn't have. For example, he was currently thinking about his former friends that he had turned over to the Decepticons. After they had left he had felt hut; betrayed. His anger had taken over him and when Sentinel Prime, along with Jazz and the Jet twins had come to Earth so they could look for Optimus and the others the opportunity had been too good to pass up. He had gotten a great deal of pleasure from stripping Sentinel of his weapons and then turning him over to the Decepticons. Yes that had been most satisfying. He had thought that turning in his former teammates would be just as rewarding but it hadn't been. Instead he was left feeling rather empty. He didn't feel the least bit guilty but, just maybe, a little sad.

He rose from his position on the floor and walked over to one of the many shelves that were weighed down my mods. His servos moved over the many different items until they reached Sentinel Prime's sword and shield. He traced the designs o it then moved on and stopped when he reached _their_ mods. As he stood there Bumblebee remembered. He remembered fights, pranks, battles, laughter, tears, screams…he remembered it all. Taking a step back he shook his head vehemently. No! He didn't want to remember! He didn't!

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at the Decepticon base, General Prime was also thinking about things that he didn't want to. To be more specific he was mulling over the words that his Autobot self had spoken. Was it possible that he had been telling the truth? Was Bumblebee really an innocent victim in all of this? Starscream could have planned this; what better way to eliminate the enemy than to pit themselves against each other? With the four of them thinking that Bumblebee had turned and them and Bumblebee thinking that they had left him none of them would have wanted anything to do with each other. It was a brilliant plan, he had to admit, and not only that but it was working quite effectively. A deep wedge had been driven between himself and his former allies but Starscream wasn't fully to blame. They hadn't been forced to believe the Decepticon but rather had chosen to. So this mess was no one's fault but their own.<p>

To top it all off there was that little matter of the four Autobots sitting in the brig that happened to look just like him and his three friends. Something would have to be done about them, he decided and soon. He vented heavily and went back down the hallway, heading towards his quarters. He walked through the door and looked around; making sure that nothing was out of place. Shadow Ninja sat in front of the monitors casually tossing a black shuriken up and down in the air. He nodded to the ninja and was about to go searching for Monster Wreck when something caught his optic. "Shadow Ninja," he said slowly, "why is that camera turned off?" he asked; gesturing towards the camera that was the only one in the brig that worked.

"It's not working," Shadow Ninja replied, not stopping what he was doing.

"Then why didn't you fix it?"

"I didn't have the time."

General Prime raised an optic ridge and looked pointedly at the ninja who was towing a shuriken. "Yes I'm sure you were overwhelmed with work," he said sarcastically. "Monster Wreck released them, didn't he?"  
>There was a clang was the shuriken hit the floor. Shadow Ninja's mouth plates moved but nothing came out. His optics swept the room nervously as if trying to find an answer written on the walls.<p>

General Prime sighed and said, "It's okay, Shadow. I figured that he would. I don't think he ever really believed that Bumblebee betrayed us."

"Do you agree with him?" Shadow Ninja asked softly.

General Prime was quiet for several seconds then he said, "Honestly? I don't know what to believe anymore."

Shadow Ninja merely nodded and leaned down to pick up his shuriken. He resumed tossing it up and down while General Prime retreated to his private recharge chamber. "Oh, Bumblebee," the ninja smiled, "even when we haven't seen you in ten thousand years you can still wreck havoc with the best of them!"

* * *

><p>It was, Optimus decided, very difficult to make one's way through an unfamiliar forest that had virtually no trees without weapons while trying to stay clear of the Decepticons. Yes being an escaped prisoner was definitely not for the weak of spark. Behind him the sound of Ratchet grumbling floated to his sensitive audio sensors while Prowl made "ick" noises and Bulkhead tripped over holes in the ground. They were making good time to be certain but it was strangely quiet. Optimus was rather used to hearing a very loud, very annoying screechy voice asking "Are we there yet?" Primus, he missed Bumblebee. Who would've thought that he could ever miss the immature, loud-mouthed minibot? Certainly not hi but Bumblebee did have some good qualities; he was loyal to a fault, brave, and an extremely good friend.<p>

"I hate organic planets," Ratchet grumbled. "Give me Megatron any day."

"So where too, boss-bot?" Bulkhead asked.

"First we need to go see Bumblebee and get out weapons back," Optimus replied.

"And after that?" Prowl raised an optic ridge.

"After that we're going to destroy the Decepticons," Optimus said determinedly.

"Great," Ratchet sighed. "We're going to get ourselves off-lined by Bumblebee before we can tell him that we're not really his friends. And how are we going to get our weapons from him anyway?"

Optimus frowned. "I hadn't thought about that," he admitted. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"We're gonna get off-lined," Ratchet muttered as he followed Optimus.

A/N: 5 reviews.

A/N/N: Despite the fact that I haven't been getting 5 reviews per chapter I have still continued posting the other chapters. Now, I understand that all of you are busy with school and work so that's why I've been so lenient about the 5 reviews. I assume that when you guys have a chance you will review my others chapters to give me enough reviews. Thanks for continuing to read and everything. Don't forget you can do fan art whenever you want or write stories to go with any of my stories as long as you list my story as your inspiration and send me the link in a private message.


	9. Liar!

Mixed-Up 2: Alternate Reality

Chapter 8: Liar!

Bumblebee had been about to fall into recharge when he heard it; the sound of someone trying to quietly enter his cave. Not bothering to sit up he called, "Don't forget to seal the entrance when you come in."

There was silence then, "How did you know it was us?" Optimus Prime asked; his voice filled with curiosity.

Bumblebee smiled ever so slightly and said, "I'm blind, you know; not deaf. Besides you bots are the only ones brave enough or foolish enough to come here. I assume you came for your weapons," it was a statement; not a question.

"Yes," Optimus said, moving a couple of steps forward while Bulkhead could be heard sealing the entrance.

"Well, go ahead. You don't see me standing in your way," Bumblebee inclined his head towards the shelves.

There was a slight hesitation then Optimus walked across the floor and retrieve the weapons. As he walked back to his friends the footsteps sounded heavier, telling Bumblebee everything that he needed to know.

"Aren't you going to leave now?" Bumblebee asked a few minutes later when it became obvious that they weren't planning on leaving.

"We don't know how to re-attach these," Prowl answered.

"You don't know," Ratchet grumbled. "I do but does anyone ask me? No they don't."

Bumblebee sniggered and rose to his pedes. "Come here," he ordered. Optimus came over first and held out his arm. It only took Bumblebee a few minutes to return the axe and grappling hooks to their formers places. Once he was done with Optimus Bumblebee replaced the others' weapons as well. After he was finished with all of them he said, "All done," then stepped back. When they still hadn't moved he said, "I'm done. Your weapons have all been re-attached. You can go now."

Bumblebee," Optimus sounded rather nervous, as if he wasn't quiet sure whether or not what he said next would be dangerous. "There's we need to tell you."

Bumblebee's senses immediately went on alert. "What?" he asked warily.

"We're not your friends," Bulkhead blurted out when it became obvious that Optimus wasn't going to answer.

There was no way to describe the feeling of hurt that rose up in Bumblebee's chassis at those words. The one thing that had kept him going all these years (besides his desire for revenge of course) had been the knowledge that they were his friends. Had they still been online, his optics would now have been a fiery red.

Fortunately Optimus recognized the look of absolute hurt and fury on Bumblebee's gray faceplate and hastily said, "He didn't mean it like that, Bumblebee. What he meant was that we aren't the Autobots disappeared ten thousand years ago." Seeing the look of utter confusion that Bumblebee was now sporting he sighed and attempted to explain further. "We are not from here. We came from another dimension when a portal sucked us up then dropped us off here."

Bumblebee stared at him for a second then burst out laughing. "You can't honestly expect me to believe you," he managed to gasp in between laughs. "Well if that's the case, then where are _my_ friends?"

"The Decepticons captured them and held them prisoner. Starscream lied to you and to them. He convinced all five of you that you had betrayed each other. Your friends are Decepticons now, wanting to get revenge on you for turning them in," Optimus said gently.

Bumblebee's faceplate was sickly white. "You're lying," he whispered, stumbling backwards. "You're lying."

"Bumblebee," Optimus stepped forward and attempted to lay a servo on one of Bumblebee's shoulder struts.

"No!" Bumblebee yelled, shoving Optimus away from him. "You're lying! I was this close to help you take down the Decepticons," he held two digits so close together that you couldn't see them. "But then you had to go and lie to me so now I don't think that I will."

"Bumblebee," Optimus tried a second time.

"No! I want you out of here right now!"

After deciding that it would probably be for the best to do as he had said the four Autobots headed back towards the stone door, glancing behind them hesitantly. While Bulkhead re-opened the cave entrance Optimus turned to look at Bumblebee who was leaning against the wall. As if he could feel the red-and-blue bot's optics on him Bumblebee gave Optimus the most venomous glare that he possibly could and said in a low voice, "Get out."

Taking one last look at the black-and-yellow minibot Optimus walked through the room and into the cave. He stopped long enough to close the secret door then they began the long trek back to the boat.

Inside Bumblebee slid down the wall and, wrapping his arms around his knee joints, buried his faceplate in the cavity formed by his arms. His entire frame shook as, for the first time ever since his friends disappeared, began to cry.

* * *

><p>Megatron knew something was wrong the minute Starscream walked in, glancing longingly at the door behind him. "Lord Megatron," the Seeker bowed respectfully which immediately set off internal alarm bells.<p>

"What is it, Starscream?" Megatron asked wearily, already feeling the beginnings of a processor ache.

"The Autobots have escaped, my lord."

"What?" Megatron growled as he sat straight up. "How?" he demanded.

Starscream back up and stammered, "I don't know how. B-but we are working on it."

"Working on it?" Megatron roared. "That's not good enough, Starscream! I want results! All you ever give me are more problems and empty brigs!"

It was right about then that Starscream lost it. "Oh yeah?" he yelled. "I captured those four Autobots ten thousand years ago. I was the one who managed to convince them to defect and join the Decepticons! I was the one who got Bumblebee to believe that they had run off and abandoned him! I'm the one who did all that, not you!"

While Starscream had been ranting and raving Megatron's jaw had steadily been dropping until it looked like it was going to fall off completely. "You did what?" his voice was flat, devoid of emotion, not to mention rather icy.

Realizing what he had just let slip Starscream raised his weapons and fired repeatedly at Megatron. The Decepticon leader's frame jerked as the weapons fire hit it. Lowering his weapons Starscream was delighted to discover that Megatron was off-line; permanently. "Oops," he smiled.

"Vhat happened?" Blitzwing demanded as he ran into the room, coming to a dead stop when he saw Megatron.

"Prepare for battle," Starscream ordered. "It's time to destroy the Autobots once and for all."

A/N: 5 reviews please.

A/N/N: The next chapter WILL have more action and, hopefully, the final showdown. Yay!


	10. Optimus Prime Vs General Prime

Mixed-Up 2: Alternate Reality

Chapter 9: Optimus Prime vs. General Prime

It didn't take a genius to figure out that something very big was about to happen. Even the Autobots-turned-Decepticons that lived in the lowest level of the base felt the excitement in the air. Hook swore up and down that he could a battle coming despite Shadow Ninja arguing that Transformers couldn't smell.

"What do you think is going on?" Monster Wreck asked nervously.

"They're going to fight the Autobots," General Prime said, not looking up from the datapad he was perusing.

"But that means that they'll die!" Monster Wreck cried.

"More than likely," Hook agreed.

"But we gotta do something!" Monster Wreck argued. "We can't just let them die!"

"And why not?" General Prime demanded as he sat the datapad down.

"Well because they're us," the big, purple mech said softly.

"I must agree with him," Shadow Ninja said. "Even if they do have horrible paintjobs they are still us, or rather what we used to be."

"Used to be," General Prime said. "We're no longer Autobots. We are now Decepticons, or have you forgotten that?"

The other three Decepticons exchanged glances then Shadow Ninja said, "We haven't forgotten."

"Good," General Prime sounded slightly pleased then said, "I'm going for a walk." He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Once he was gone the others stood there, just looking at each other then made a beeline for the door, intent on saving…well, themselves.

* * *

><p>"So, uh, how are we gonna find the Decepticons anyway?" Bulkhead asked.<p>

"Well I guess that when the time comes they'll find us," Optimus answered a few seconds of rapid thinking after he realized that he hadn't thought about it.

They walked over the island until they reached the beach. Once there they stopped and just stood there, staring. Waiting for them was Bumblebee, holding Sentinel Prime's sword and shield. "Well don't just stand there," Bumblebee called. "If you want to destroy the Decepticons then you might want to hurry up."

The Autobots hurriedly walked over to Bumblebee and Optimus said, "I didn't think you were going to help us."

"Well I'm not," Bumblebee said. "I just want to get back at Starscream for lying to me, that's all."

Optimus nodded, feeling disappointed that Bumblebee wasn't going to help them because it was the right thing to do but reminded himself that this wasn't _their_ Bumblebee. This Bumblebee belonged to four Decepticons who happened to look an awful lot like Optimus and his crew.

The five bots boarded the ship and cast off. All of them were silent, each other thinking about the battle that lay ahead. And, although none of them would ever admit it, they were worried about the outcome. When a bump signaled that they had reached the other side they all clambered out, taking care not to break or scratch anything.

"Just wait," Bumblebee told them. "The Decepticons will be here shortly."  
>"And why is that?" Prowl asked, crossing his arms.<p>

Bumblebee smirked and said, "I told them I was bringing you back in and for them to meet me here."

"Prime," Ratchet whispered, "are we sure we can trust him?"

"Not really," Optimus whispered back, "but what other choice do we have?"

"You bots do realize that I can hear you, right?" Bumblebee asked, causing them to instantly fall silent.

As Bumblebee had predicted they didn't have to wait long; the Decepticons arriving just a few minutes later, Starscream in the lead.

"Nice to see you again so soon, Auto scum," Starscream sneered.

Bumblebee, who had had his head cocked to one said asked suddenly, "Where's Lugnut?"  
>Starscream and Blitzwing exchanged glances then the triple-changer casually said, "He vas the unfortunate victim of an accident as vas Lord Megatron. Starscream is our leader now and I am his second-in-command."<p>

"Which one of you?" Bulkhead asked.

"Vhat?" Blitzwing looked confused.

"Well technically there are three of you," Bulkhead explained. "So I was just wondering which one of you is the second-in-command now."

"Hmm," Blitzwing frowned. "That's a very good point," he said thoughtfully. "Ve never thought about that."

Starscream glowered at Bulkhead who unconsciously shrank back. "I'm going to off-line each and every one of you," he said through gritted denta, 'but only after you tell me where you came from."

"Well you see," Ratchet said with a straight faceplate, "when two bots love each other very much…"

Starscream, whose faceplate had been steadily growing redder and redder, suddenly yelled, "Enough! Destroy them all," he ordered the Decepticons and charged.

And with that the battle had officially begun.

* * *

><p>It was quiet; a little too quiet. General Prime ignored the breathtaking scenery, or rather what was left of it, and stared down at the swirling water a good forty feet beneath the cliff he was standing on. He was not planning to jump off of it like many humans had but enjoyed the view. Standing here had, for some unknown reason, always helped him think. Today he had an awful lot to think about. While he had already decided to believe his Autobot self he was now faced with a new dilemma; hat was he going to do about it? Could he honestly live with himself if he condemned the Autobots to death? No he decided; he couldn't. He had enough trouble falling into recharge as it was; he couldn't afford any more deaths on his conscience, he would never be able to recharge again! Besides, he was no longer an Autobot, he was a Decepticon now. Suddenly General Prime straightened, his red optics gleaming. Of course, that was it! He was a Decepticon. He turned around and, after transforming, zoomed towards the docks where Starscream that they met Bumblebee.<p>

* * *

><p>"Aren't we there yet?" Monster Wreck whined.<p>

"No!" Hook snapped.

"If you ask that question one more time I swear to Primus that I will come back there and chop you into so many pieces that no one will be able to put you together ever again," Shadow Ninja threatened.

Sensing that it wasn't an idle threat Monster Wreck fell silent, preferring to stay in one piece if at all possible. They remained that way until they reached the docks where they transformed and watched Starscream as he aimed at Prowl's spark chamber; a shot that would definitely off-line the black-and-gold bot. Before he could fire, however, Shadow Ninja withdrew a black shuriken and threw it, distracting the Seeker long enough for Prowl to jump out of the way. Furious, Starscream turned to yell at whoever had distracted him only to stare in shock when he realized who it was. "What…what are you bots doing here?" he stammered.

"We're taking you down," Shadow Ninja informed him. "What did you think we were doing?"

"Why?" Starscream demanded. "Why are you doing that?"

"Because," a new voice said as General Prime stepped into view, "we're Decepticons."

If Starscream had been dumbfounded before he was completely flabbergasted now, "And what does that have to do with anything?" he asked once he had regained his voice.

"Well basically it means that we're going to get back at you for lying to us," General Prime explained even as he pulled out his axe.

Making an executive decision Optimus stepped back and motioned for the others to do the same. "What are you doing?" Prowl hissed.

"This isn't our battle," Optimus said. "Its theirs," he pointed at the four Decepticons and Bumblebee who were closing in on the flier.

Due to their anger and hatred it didn't take long for them to off-line Starscream, his frame in several pieces. The remaining Decepticons, once they had seen what happened to their new leader, quickly surrendered, not wanting to suffer the same fate. After they had all been put in stasis cuffs Optimus walked over to General Prime and asked, "So what are you bots going to do now?"

General Prime shrugged and admitted, "I honestly don't know. Re-build the town I guess, maybe try to fix some burned bridges." He looked pointedly at Bumblebee when he said the last part of his sentence and Optimus smiled.

"That sounds like a good idea," he said, "a very good idea."

Bumblebee wandered over to where they were standing, Monster Wreck and Bulkhead in tow. "So are you bots going to leave now?" the black-and-yellow minibot asked.

"I don't even know how we got here in the first place," Optimus said, "so I definitely don't have any idea how to get home." Just as he finished speaking there was an ominous rumbling and a portal appeared. Optimus sighed, "So that's how we get home." He and the other three Autobots stepped towards it.

"Bye," Bumblebee waved at them as they were sucked into the portal.

After the portal had disappeared along with the Autobots General Prime looked around him, at Bumblebee and his three friends and decided that, just maybe, everything would be all right now.

A/N: 5 reviews.

A/N/N: When Optimus says that he doesn't know how they got there what he means is, he knows that the portal brought them there but he doesn't know why; the only portal he knows about transported them to the future so he's not entirely sure this one took them to a different dimension. No, I don't plan on explaining it; at least not in this story, maybe in another story.

A/N/N/N: In case anyone is interested Optimus and the others landed in the _original_ TF: Animated universe.


	11. Home Again

Mixed-Up 2: Alternate Reality

Chapter 10: Home…Again

Bumblebee was not used to strange things happening. Decepticons attacking he could handle but his friends disappearing without a trace…again? He couldn't deal with that quite so well. He scowled at his knee-joint and heartily cursed his inability to move at the moment. The first day he hadn't moved an inch, afraid of bringing down Ratchet's wrath upon his helm. By the time the second day had rolled around he was worried that he decided to go out and look for them. A task that, sadly, was proving to be easier said than done. So far all he had been able to accomplish was that he had made it two steps before his knee-joint had given out. Now he was on the floor, scooting backwards toward the door. He had no idea how he was going to look for them but figured he would cross that bridge when he came to it. He had almost reached his destination when the door flew open revealing his missing friends. "Bulkhead!" he cried happily.

"Bumblebee!" Bulkhead scooped the yellow minibot up in his massive arms, rocking from side to side.

"I was so worried!" Bumblebee exclaimed. "I didn't think you bots were ever going to come back!"

Ratchet opened his mouth to say something but closed it when he realized that it eerily mirrored something the other Bumblebee had said.

Fortunately Optimus came to the rescue and stepped forward saying, "We would never leave you, Bumblebee, unless we didn't have a choice."

"But," Prowl interjected, "we would still try as hard as possible to get back to you no matter what."

"No matter what," Ratchet repeated.

"I'm never letting you bots out of my sight again," Bumblebee declared as he wrapped his arms tightly around Bulkhead's thick neck.

As Optimus looked around he decided that that was fine by him; just as long as they were home where they belonged.

A/N: 5 reviews.

A/N/N: Sorry it's so short. The prologue to Unstable Experiments will be up on Sunday.

A/N/N/N: If anyone was wondering, no the other Bumblebee and his friends didn't forgive each other quite as easily as I made it seem. They were kind of putting on a little show for my Optimus. But they do eventually forgive each other.


End file.
